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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. GREEN.

. COIN OPERATED OPTOMETER. No. 416,599. 3 Patented D90. 3

N. PETERS. mum-5M. Wnhlngton. 11c

' (No M0d91.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

B. GREEN. 00m OPERATED OPTOMETER.

' No. 416,599. Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

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(No Model.)

' 54 she ts-sheet 3. B. GREEN.

00m OPERATED OPTOMETER. No. 416599.

Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

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(Nd-Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

r B. GREEN.. COIN OPERATED OPTUMETER.

Patented 1360.3, 1889. 7

N. PETERS, Fhdouthognplwr, Wnmnjlcn. D.C-.

"UNITE STATES PATE T OFFICE.

BRUOE'GREEN, or men HOLBORN, COUNTY or MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND.

COIN-OPERATED OPTOMETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,599, dated December3, 1889.

Application filed February 21,1889. Serial No. 300,696. (No model.)

T0 (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that L'BRUCE GREEN,optician, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at No. 326 High Holborn, in the county of Middlesex,England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Connected withSight-Testing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in sight-testingapparatus; and it has for its objects whereby a person by depositing acoin of a given denomination in the apparatus may cause the internaldevices to be operated thereby to enable the operator to uncover'any ofa series of lenses and to adjust the same with reference to a suitableobject in the apparatus, by the aid of which he can test the strength ofhis sight and ascertain the power or focus of the glasses orlenses bestsuited thereto.

In the drawings, Figure l is a sectional rear felevation of asight-testing apparatus constructed according to my invention andprovided with a number of movable lenses. Fig. 2 is avertical transversesection, and Fig.

3 is a front elevation,'of part thereof. Fig.

ient arrangement. Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section, and Fig. 8 isa front elevation, of part thereof. Fig. 9 is a sectional rear elevationof parts of an apparatus similar to that represented at Figs. 6 and 7.

In the several figures of the drawings like parts are indicated bysimilar letters of reference. I

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a represents the case of the apparatus,which is provided with two glazed apertures in the upper part of thefront thereof fitted with eye-pieces a, through which the printed matteror other object it may be seen.

b is a shutter or plate, which may be provided with an aperture 1), andis hinged or loosely mounted upon a spindle al at the other end, andthis shutter or plate I) is so arranged that when in its normal orclosed position it will intersect the line of sight between theeye-pieces a and the printed matter or other object h, such as isordinarily employed fortesting the sight.

The shutter or plate 11 is, through a flexible connection b passing overguide-pulleys b normally held in its closed or raised position by meansof a weight b (or it might be a spring, as represented at Figs. 6 and 7)upon one end of a pedal-lever 6 mounted upon an axis of motion 1), andthe other end of which lever is provided with a foot-plate or pedal If.

The shutter or plate I) is normally held locked in its closed orraisedposition by means of a spring catch or support a, which is fixedto and actuated by a tubular lever or guidec', mounted upon a center ofmotion 0 carried by the front of the case a, and held in its normalposition by means of a spring c One end of this tubular lever c is opento the slot 01?, provided for the insertion of the coin in the front ofthe case a, and the other end thereof is open too, and so formed as toguide the coin into the money-box e. l

Upon a person standing on or depressing the pedal b the weight b will bethereby raised, (or the spring compressed,) leaving the shutter Z)solely retained in its raised or closed position by the spring catch orsupport 0. The influence of the weight or spring 11 being now removed,the shutter 19 is subject to the influence of a lesser (its own) weightor, it might be, a spring which tends to remove it from the line ofsight, so that a coin inserted into the slot a and guided along thetubular lever c. to the money-box e, will,

through the lever c, act upon the spring catch or support 0 and removeit from beneath the shutter b,which is thereby released, and by its owngravity or, it might be, by the influence of a spring, immediately movesaway from the line of sight from the eye-pieces a to the objectiveprinting, thus giving. access to the apparatus. The coin having nowpassed from the tubular lever 0 into the money-box e, the spring 0 willact to return the lever c I and catch or support 0 to their normalposition until the catch or support a is arrested by the side of theshutter or plate 19, and uponthe person stepping off the pedal lithemore powerful weight (or spring) b will befreed' and, overcoming theweaker one, (the weight of the shutter 12,) will bring back the shutterb to its normal or closed position, allowing the catch or support 0 totake up its normal position beneath the shutter 12, and thereby lockingit until another coin is inserted into the slot a In lieu of the pedal19 ,1 may, if desired, employ a handle-bar to act upon the lever W, asshown by the dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 7. The lenses d, employed forascertaining the strength of the sight, are carried by a disk 61', whichis fixed upon a spindle 0?, one end of which passes through and issupported by the front of the case CL and the other end of which issupported with capability of revolution in a bearing f, carried by abracket f from the case a.

The lenses. d are mounted in apertures formedin the disk d. in suchmanner that a number of pairs of lenses (Z are arrangedra- 4 diallyaround the spindle d and the front of such spindle, which projectsthrough the case a, is provided with a milled button (F, (or, itmightbe, with an arrangementsimilar to that represented at Figs. 6 and7,) so that the disk may be revolved, bringing the several pairs oflenses one by one into alignment with the eye-pieces (1 until one of astrength suitable to the eyesight of the person operating the instrumentis brought into position.

The strength of each lens d, as it arrives in position for use, isindicated by a corresponding number or, it might be, any other symbol,and such numbers cl are arranged in a circle upon the disk cl, so thateach number is in turn brought into position to be visible through anaperture C03 in the front of the case a; or the lenses (1 and numbersmight be mounted upon or carried by arms radiating from the spindle d orupon a frame carried thereby.

In lieu of or in addition to locking the shutter, as hereinbeforedescribed, I sometimes lock the disk d or spindle d as an additionalsecurity against fraud. For this purpose, according to the arrangementshown at Fig. 1, I provide the disk d at its periphery with a ring ofteeth (1 and, acting in connection'with such ring, I employ a tooth orprojection g, carried by abar or lever g, which is at one end hinged atg to the case a, and at the other end pin-jointed at g to one end of alink or connecting-rod g, the other end of which is pin-jointed to theshutter 19, so that the movements thereof are imparted to the lever gand tooth or projection g, thus looking the disk d'and spindle d againstrevolution when the shutter b is raised or closed.

The objective printing or other test is arranged upon a screen h, whichis carried with capability of adjustment upon a bar h, in order that thedistance thereof from the lenses may be regulated to a given standard.The necessary light to the instrument is admitted through the glasspanel 1', provided at the upper part or sides of the case a.

' to revolve in unison.

In the modification represented at Figs. 4 and 5, in lieu of causing theshutter 17 to intersect the line of sight, I cause it to cover the glasspanel 1' and thus intercept the passage of light to the interior oftheinstrument. In this arrangement the shutter b slides in guides orgrooves a upon the inside of the case a, and is normally held closed bythe weight or spring 19 through the flexible connection 13 which passesaround guide-pulleys b and is locked in its closed position by means ofa rod 0 which is pin-jointed tothe lever c at one end and passes througha guide 0 at the other 'end, where it is acted upon by a spring a, tonormallyhold it and the lever a raised when the inclined or toothed endof the rod 0 will snap over a ratchet-tooth b upon the under side of theshutter 19, thus securely looking it against movement until the pedal orhandle bar b is again depressed and thelever c is acted upon by a coininserted in the slot a ,when the tooth of the rod 0 will be withdrawnfrom the ratchet-tooth b and the shutter will be opened by the action ofthe spring I) or, it might be, by the action of a weight.

The arrangement represented at Figs. 6, 7, and 8 is very similar to thatshown and described with' respect to Figs. 1, 2, and 3; but in thiscase, in order to secure a more symmetrical appearance to theinstrument, two disks cl are employed, each carrying a single circle oflenses (1, the corresponding ones of which are brought together in pairsbehind the eye-pieces a, which are situated in the center of the case a.In this arrangement, in lieu of giving motion to the spindle d by meansof milled buttons (1 fixed upon the spindles (1 outside the case, rightand left handed worm-wheels d are fixed upon the spindles (1 within thecase a, and receive motion from corresponding worms d formed upon atransverse shaft 61 carried at each end thereof, by the case a, andfurnished at one end with a milled wheel or button d by means of whichthe disks d may be caused In order to lock this cross-shaft d and thedisks (1' against revolution until the required conditions have beenfulfilled, a notched or toothed wheel d is fixed upon the cross-shaft dand a tail 12* of the shutter 17 is caused to engage therewith when theshutter is in its raised or closed position. The pedal-lever (or thehand-bar lever) 6 together withthe shutter]; and connected parts, areretained in their normal p0- sition b means of a s rin or it mi ht be pD i b 7 a weight, as shown with respect to Figs. ,1 and 2, except whenotherwise acted upon, as hereinbefore described.

In the modification represented at Fig. 9 the disks d are each providedwith two circles of lenses d, covered by a double shutter b. The lensesof one disk may be concave, and those of the other convex, and the frontof the case a (not shown) must, in this example, be provided with acorresponding double set of eye-pieces a. Otherwise the arrangement ofparts is similar to that shown with respect to Figs. 6, 7, and 8.

.I would here remark that I have herein shown anddescribed the bestmeans that I am at present acquainted with for carrying my inventioninto effect 5 but I would have it understood thatI do not confine myselfthereto, as it will be evident that the details and arrangement thereofmay be considerably varied without departing from the peculiar characterof my invention.

It will be evident that when desired the sight-testing apparatushereinbefore mentioned, having the lenses mounted in rotary disks orarms, can be advantageously employed independently of the coin-freed orcoin-operating mechanism.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is- 1. A sight-testing apparatus consisting of a case a,provided with eye-apertures a, a light-inlet i, a shutter b, one ofwhich eyeapertures is normally closed by said shutter, a weight orspring adapted to automatically open the shutter, coin freed oroperating mechanism, a connection 12 a lever b and a weight or spring tonormally hold the shutter in its closed position, said shutter beingadapted to be solely retained by the coin freed or operating mechanism,substantially as set forth.

2. A coin freed or operating sight-testing apparatus consisting of acase a, provided with a shutter, eye-apertures a, and a lightinlet '6,one of which is normally closed by the shutter, the shutter-openingweight or spring, a connection b a lever b the weight or spring normallyholding the shutter closed, a spring catch or support 0, the money-box,and a lever or guide 0, along which the coin passes to the money-box,substantially as set forth.

3. A sight-testing apparatus consisting of,

a case a, provided with eye-apertures a, a

disk or disks d, provided with lenses d and

